Self-playing musical instrument.



PATENTED JULY 14, 1903.

W. M. STINE.

APPLICATION I ILED DEC. 10, 1902.

SELF PLAYING MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

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PATENT OFFICE...

WILBUR M. STINE, OF SWARTHMORE, PENNSYLVANIA.

SELF-PLAYING MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 733,764, dated July 14, 1903. Application filed December 10, 1902. Serial No 134,712. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILBUR M. STINE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Swarthmore, Delaware county, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Self-Playing Musical Instruments, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to automatic or selfplaying musical instruments; and it consists of an improved compensating device for use in driving the roll upon which the music-sheet is wound, commonly called the take-up roll. 7

My invention includes also a silent driving connection for this roll.

Other features of my invention will be pointed out hereinafter, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan view of my improved structure. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation on the line a a, Fig. 1, showing the parts in one position. Fig. 3 is a similar sectional view showing the parts in another position, and Fig. 4 is an end view of the structure.

In all forms of self-playing instruments in which a continuous note-sheet is employed continuously driven during the playing action by suitable mechanism suchsheet is wound upon a take-up roll in the course of playing, and the diameter of this roll is constantly increasing. This roll having been originally set to revolve at a speed corresponding with the desired tempo or time of the music to be played and being driven constantly at that speed through any suitable form of driving mechanism, the speed of the note-sheet over the tracker-board is being continually accelerated, owing to the increastor-shaft which shall be free from noise.

to the music-roll is indicated at 5, and this shaft may be driven by any suitable means connected at the point 6. Arranged to turn with this shaft 5, but having a sliding movement with relation to the same, is a shaft '7, which carries a cone-pulley 8, said pulley being in engagement with the friction-band 4 of the music-take-up roll and serving as the transmitting means for driving said roll. The shaft 5 carries a sleeve 9, by means of which it is connected to the shaft 7, said sleeve being pinned to the shaft 5 at 10. The shaft 7 has 'a pin 11', adapted to a slot 12 in the sleeve 9, in order to drive said shaft from the shaft 5, yet permitting longitudinal movement of said shaft 7 with relation to the shaft 5. This shaft 5 is also provided with a threaded sleeve 15, which is driven independently of the said shaft, but which may turn therewith owing to frictional contact. This sleeve 15 has an enlarged shouldered portion 16, adapted to a bearing 17,which prevents lateral movementof said sleeve. Mounted above the bearings 18 and 19 for the shafts 5 and 7 is a movable bar or plate 20, which has a yoke 21 at one end, arranged to engage a groove 22 in one end of the pulley 8. At the opposite end of this bar or plate 20 a half-nut 23 is attached, engaging the threaded sleeve orworm 15, mounted upon and free to turn on the shaft 5. When this sleeve or worm is turned, however, by the means shortly to be described, the bar or plate 20 will be moved, and being in engagement with the cone-pulley 8 the latter will be moved longitudinally as it is rotated. The movable bar or plate 20 is held down by means of the clampingpieces 24, which, however, do not prevent its free movement, and this bar may be of spring metal and arranged to engage the threaded sleeve by its own tension or it may be weighted to effect this engagement.

Journaled on the shaft 5 is astar-wheel 25, which is operatively connected to the threaded sleeve 15 by means of a pin 26, carried by the shouldered portion 16 of said sleeve and passing through an aperture in the said starwheel. The star-wheel is engaged by a pawl 27, mounted on the flange 2 of the musictake-up roll. This pawl is preferably made of spring metal and is adjustable to vary the amount of engagement with the star-wheel, which is moved one tooth for every revolution of the music-roll. The star-wheel is held against the end of the threaded sleeve 15 by means of a yoke 28, which is engaged by a spring 29, and the wheel 25 may also be engaged by a coiled spring.

The parts being in the position shown in the drawings, the rotation of the shaft 5 will rotate the cone-pulley 8, and the half-nut 23 being in engagement with the threaded sleeve 15 said cone-pulley will be moved in the direction of the arrow 00 as said threaded sleeve is rotated by the star-wheel 25, thereby gradually decreasing the speed of the music-roll as the diameter of the driving element is decreased. This structure is carried by a baseboard 30, pivoted at 31 and provided with means whereby it may be raised at its forward end to throw the cone-pulley into engagement with the friction-disk of the musicroll, a spring 32 being employed to effect this action and hold said base-board in the lifted position. A bolt 33 is pivoted to the springboard at 34, and this bolt passes through a bracket 35, carried by the support for the base-board, and has a nut 36 threaded on its upper end. Between this nut and the bracket the spring 32 is disposed. In addition to supporting the base-board 30 this spring also serves to increase the tension between the friction-disk of the music-take-up roll and the cone-pulley. The tension of the spring is controlled by the nut 36.

In Fig. 2 the parts of my improved device are shown in the lowered position before the cone-pulley 8 has been brought into engagement with the friction part of the music-takeup roll. These parts are held in this position by means of the sliding rod 40, which has a cam portion 4] to engage a stop-piece 42, adapted to slides 43, carried by the front end of the base-board 30. This stop-piece is attached to the support for said base-board and is positioned by means of a screw 44, being held in the raised position by means of a spring 45, encircling said screw. The baseboard is apertured at 46 for the passage of the stop-piece 42.

When the device is to be put into operation, the rod will be pulled out into the position shown in Fig. 3, the cam portion 41 being retracted, so that the notch 47, adjacent to the same, will receive the stop-piece 42. This'action will bring the cone-pulley into engagem'ent'with the friction-disk of the music-take-up roll, and upon the movement of said cone-pulley through the medium of the shafts 5 and 7 said take-up roll will be driven. Fig. 3 represents the position of the cone-pulley 8 and the bar or plate 20 after the music has been entirely wound upon the roll 1, such representation indicating an extremely long sheet of music. After the takeup roll has finished winding the music-sheet and the cone-pulley 8 has been moved to a position corresponding to this condition, which will vary as the lengths of the sheets vary, it is necessary, of course, to return the parts to a position for unwinding the music from the take-up roll and also to place a new roll in position. To accomplish this, the sliding rod 40 is moved back until its inclined or cam portion 41 engages the stop-piece 42 and lowers the base-board 30. The cone-pulley is thereby carried away from the friction-disk of the take-up roll. This rod 40 has an inclined way and projection and 51 at its forward end, the inclined portion being adapted to engage the arm 52, depending from the half-nut 23, to lift the same free from the threaded sleeve 15, while the projection 51 engages said arm 52 and moves the half-nut 23 and the bar or plate 20 back to the starting-point. When this is done, the end of the rod 40 engages the end of the yoke 28 and moves the star-wheel 25 away from engagement with the pawl 27 into the position shown by dotted lines, Fig. 2. When in this position, the take-up roll 1 may be turned so as to unwind the music therefrom. After the music has been unwound from the take-up roll the slide will be moved so as to clear the arm 52 and the yoke controlling the position of the star-wheel, and the latter will return by the aid of the spring 29, the half-nut 23 droppinginto proper position on the threaded sleeve 15.

The rod 40 is moved by means of a lever 55, pivoted at 56 to a bracket 57 and controlled by means of a spring 58. This spring is so connected to the lever as to hold the rod 40 in the extreme positions to which it may be moved and only in these positions of action and inaction.

When at the end of its stroke, the conepulley 8 abuts a coiled spring 60, mounted on the shaft 7, as shown in Fig. 3.

When a new sheet is to be wound upon the take-up roll, the slide 40 will be moved into position to permit the engagement of the cone-pulley with the friction-disk of said roll and the operation of the structure will proceed as before.

Although I have shown the mechanism forming the subject of my invention as applied to drive the take-up roll by direct contact with the same, it may be applied to any intermediate mechanism for effecting the movement of this roll. In the same manner IIC such intermediate mechanism may be arranged to drive the star-wheel in the proper ratio to the take-up roll, and thereby efiect the reduction of'speed of said roll through the cone-pulley.

I claim as my invention 1. In automatic or self playing instruments, the combination of the music-take-up roll, means for driving the same including a longitudinally-movable member of varying diameter contacting with and serving to change the speed of the music-take-up roll, and means for positively moving said member as the music-roll is driven. I

2. The combination in automatic or selfplaying instruments, of the music-take-up roll, means for driving the same including a device contacting with said roll and serving to regulate the speed of the same, and means for positively moving said speed-regulator as the roll is turned, said means being. operated by the music-take-up roll.

3. A compensator for automatic or selfplaying instruments to regulate the speed at which the music-take-up roll is driven comprising a driven element arranged to rotate the'music-take-up roll, a shaft for moving said element, a sleeve with which said shaft is adapted to engage and whereby it is driven, a sliding member carrying said driven element, and means for moving said slide whereby the speed transmitted by the moving element is varied.

4. A compensator for automatic or selfplaying instruments comprising a driven shaft, a sleeve carried by the same, a driving element connected to turn with said sleeve but free to slide through the same, a worm mounted upon the driving-shaft, a sliding member having a nut engaging the worm and being connected to the driving element which transmits rotative movement to the musictake-up roll, and means for driving the worm from the music-take-up roll whereby the driving element will be automatically moved as said music-take-up roll is driven, thereby automatically varying the speed of the same as the size of said roll is increased.

5. In automatic or self playing instru ments, the combination of the music-take-up roll, means for driving the same including a cone-pulley arranged to reduce the speed of said take-up roll, and a worm arranged to move said cone-pulley, said worm being so proportioned to the cone-pulley that the movement of the latter reduces in proper ratio the speed of the take-up roll due to the winding of the music-sheet upon the same.

6. In automatic or self playing instruments, the combination of the music-take-up roll, means for driving the same including a cone-pulley in contact with said roll and serving to vary the speed of the same, means for moving said pulley into operative position,

and a slide-piece for retracting the pulley and its operating mechanism.

7. In automatic or selfplaying instruments, the combination of the music-take-up roll, means for driving the same including a cone-pulley, means for moving the same to vary the speed of the take-up roll, a pivoted frame for said mechanism, a spring for'holding said frame in the raised position and a cam-slide for lowering said frame, said slide serving also to retract the cone-pulley and operating means.

8. In automatic or self playing instruments, the combination of the music-take-up roll, means for driving the same including a cone-pulley, means for operating said pulley, a pivoted frame for carrying said mechanism, and a tension-spring for said frame.

9. In automatic or self playing instruments, the combination of the music-take-up roll, means for driving the same including a cone-pulley, a worm, a connection between said worm and the pulley whereby the latter will be moved longitudinally as the worm is rotated, a star-wheel for moving said worm, said wheel being actuated from the musictake-up roll,means for moving said star-wheel out of engagement with the music-take-up roll, and a spring for returning it to normal position.

10. In automatic or selfplaying instruments, the combination of the music-take-up roll and compensating mechanism for regulating the speed of said roll as the music is wound upon the same, said compensating mechanism including a cone-pulley in contact with the music-take-up roll, means for positively moving said pulley longitudinally, and a friction-band carried by said roll in engagement with the pulley whereby a silent driving medium is obtained.

11. In automatic or self playing instruments, the combination of the music-take-up roll, means for driving the same including a cone-pulley, means for moving said pulley longitudinally as it is rotated, a slide for retracting said pulley and its operating means, and a lever for controlling the position of said slide. 7

12. In automatic or self playing instruments, the combination of the music-take-up roll, means for driving the'same, including a cone-pulley, a worm, a nut engaging therewith, an arm carrying said nut and connected to the pulley, a star-wheel for rotating said worm, and a pawl carried by the music-takeup roll for actuating the said star-wheel.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILBUR M. STINE.

WVitnesses:

MURRAY 0. BOYER, J os. H. KLEIN. 

